A California DMV data operator slept three hours a day at her desk for three years, and the department failed to take disciplinary action — despite complaints from her colleagues, according to an audit released Tuesday.

Four witnesses told investigators from the California State Auditor’s office that the DMV employee consistently slept at her desk. The auditor estimated the employee misused 2,200 hours of work time between February 2014 and December 2017.

The employee continues to work for the state, according to the audit.

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A high-ranking Cal Fire chief had two state employees build an addition to a state-owned house he rented during their work hours. The addition had plumbing, electrical and sewer connections. The chief did not get permission to build the structure. Photos of the building show it was decorated as a tiki room, and the chief invited people to drink alcohol with him in the building. The assistant chief was punished with a 30-day suspension, and Cal Fire has demolished the structure, according to the audit.

Two Fresno State University operations employees “engaged in egregious and continued time and attendance abuse” by taking extended breaks over a four-year period. They allegedly wasted 5,100 hours and cost the state about $111,000 in salary paid for work not performed.

The director of nursing at a Southern California prison reassigned a licensed vocational nurse to a position for which she was overqualified. The nurse was reported to be a friend of the director. It cost the state about $30,000, including overtime, because other employees had to cover for the nurse in her regular job.

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The DMV worker who slept at her desk might have had a medical condition that made it difficult for her to work on a regular schedule. In 2016, her doctor informed the department that she could not perform the duties the job required.

The DMV reassigned her to another position in January 2017, but she continued to sleep at work.

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The Sacramento Bee launched The State Worker blog in 2008 to cover state government from the perspective of California government employees. Every day The Bee filters the news through a single question: "What does this mean for state workers?" Subscribe to alerts on state pay, benefits, pensions, contracts and jobs at sacbee.com/newsletters. Twitter: @TheStateWorker.